Development News From Southwest Indiana

Economic development director hired
By Shannon Graber, Staff Writer, Washington Times Herald, July 7, 2005

SHOALS - Martin County is facing a crucial time in the building of its technology park at Crane North. To help the county through this time, Martin County commissioners hired an economic development director Tuesday night.

After receiving advice from committee members working on the Crane North project, commissioners made the motion for the county to enter into a service contract with Jerry Ott on the condition the Martin County Council finds the money to pay his wages.

Ott, a consultant from Franklin who will be the county's advocate for a technology park, will be working for $100 per hour, but can't exceed 30 hours a month. He would only serve in this capacity until the end of the year and would be willing to work with a permanent director when one is hired.

Loogootee Mayor Don Bowling said Ott's expertise and knowledge about the technology park process is invaluable. Ott has worked with the tech park project since the beginning.

Getting Ott on board was a crucial step for Martin County as the county faces two important meetings concerning the Westgate of Crane Technology Park, which is located at Crane North.

The first meeting will be Thursday with the representatives from the neighboring counties of Daviess and Greene. Thursday's meeting will allow representatives from the three counties to prepare for a July 19 meeting with state officials.

County Councilman Lonnie Hawkins said the three counties need to have a strong, unified front at the state meeting.

Greg Jones, with Southern Indiana Development Commission, said at the state meeting Martin and Greene counties will be asking for technology park certification from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Daviess County's land has already received certification.

It is unclear how the state will approach the July 19 meeting, but Jones said the tech park committee is looking at three acceptable scenarios.

In the best scenario, all three counties will have their own technology park certification. Each park will enact legislation to recapture state income taxes on the site and combine resources for Westgate development. Also each county would keep half of the revenue generated until a $15 million cap is met and then all income tax would go to the state. Also Westgate would seek $750,000 of technology park funding to begin development on the site.

The second scenario is the same as the first except that each county would keep half of the revenue generated until a $12 million dollar cap is met before all income tax goes to the state and that Westgate would seek $1.2 million in technology park funds to begin developing the site.

In the third scenario, there would only be one shared technology park certification and it will be renamed Westgate at Crane. Each park would recapture state income taxes on the site. Also, each county would keep half the revenue generated until a $5 million dollar cap is met and then all income tax will go to the state, and Westgate will seek $1.5 million in tech park funds to begin development.

"The main point is we've got to get certification because we can't get any income tax funds without certification," Jones said. Jones expects to know whether technology park certification is given to the Martin and Greene county sites by the end of July.

But until then, Martin County Commissioners remain committed to the project as they agreed to fund $50,000 to $60,000 to rebuild an old sewer line that will help bring wastewater treatment to the site. Jones said Daviess and Greene counties have already committed $50,000 each to the $150,000 project.

After the line is rebuilt, Martin County will be able to use $300,000 in leftover grant money to fund more sewer improvements on the site.

Commissioner John Collins said the site has to have a sewer if it is going to attract businesses.

Mayor Don Bowling said the company, SAIC, has already committed to moving into the Martin County tech site as soon as a building can be built. Ott is hopeful that Westgate will be successful.

"There are a number of elements that makes this one unique," Ott said of the technology park.

For instance, there is not another cooperative tech park in the state that involves three counties, that is supported by a naval base, and where the employees of the base need high-tech training which will draw universities.